Cold Case Support

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The solve rate for murders in the United States is at its lowest point in more than a half a century. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Reporting program, and Supplemental Homicide Report data indicates that 7,000 unsolved murders are added annually to a backlog of more than 250,000 “cold cases.”  With fewer than nine (9) percent of law enforcement agencies having dedicated personnel to investigate cold cases, justice, and closure for the families of murder victims is at an all-time low. Cold cases whose victims are Black or Hispanic are more likely to remain unsolved. CBS News reported that in 2020, murder cases involving White victims were fifty (50) percent more likely to be solved than if the victim was Black, and thirty (30) percent more likely to be solved than if the victim was Hispanic[1]. This is where the Retired Investigators Guild (RIG) is committed to making a difference.

The RIG is a recently formed, Nevada-based 501(c)(3) organization comprised mainly of former and retired criminal investigators from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies throughout the United States, and assembled to provide active and cold case support and investigative training to the law enforcement community. The RIG’s corporate strategic alliance partners can claim tax benefits through gifts of specialized services to the RIG. Thus, the RIG can make world-class scientific and technical resources available to law enforcement agencies that they may otherwise not be able to afford. The Cold Case Project provides investigative and forensic assistance to solve aging homicides with an emphasizes on underserved communities. This service is intended to help heal grieving families – some of which have long believed they have no voice in the American justice system - and to bring murderers to justice. 

The RIG intends to offer its “maiden voyage” cold case services to select tribal, small, and rural law enforcement agencies in northern Nevada. Specifically, the RIG would like to assist in solving the 2000 murder of ex-Winnemucca Tribe Chair Glenn Wasson, and other cold cases that occurred on Indian Country and in the jurisdiction of the United States Attorney for the District of Nevada. Many of our nation’s cold case homicides can be solved.

About the RIG

The RIG is comprised mainly of former and retired criminal investigators from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. RIG investigators are volunteers who are recruited based on a careful review of their career accomplishments. Each former criminal investigator invited to become a part of the RIG has demonstrated, over a period of many years, that they represent the absolute best of the best in their ability to investigate homicides, cold cases, and major crimes. They are also selected for their ability to mentor, coach, and teach young and less experienced detectives about the intricacies of conducting cold case homicide investigations.

RIG investigators will receive no pay for their work. They will, however, be incentivized through specialized compensation programs allowable for registered 501(c)(3) organizations.

The RIG is not driven by a profit motive. Rather, it can provide its services to tribal, small, and rural law enforcement agencies at no cost. And since its corporate strategic alliance partners can claim tax benefits through gifts of specialized services to the RIG, it is able to make world-class scientific and technical resources available to law enforcement agencies that would otherwise never be able to afford them.

Mission Statement

Restore America’s faith in law enforcement and continue the tireless pursuit of criminals in the interest of victims of violent crimes.

Cold Case Project

Over the past several years, many local, county and state law enforcement agencies have experienced significant budget reductions at a time when violent crime, particularly in underserved and under-represented communities has increased dramatically. The impact is being felt in jurisdictions both large and small. For example, the Austin, Texas, police department's budget was cut by half. The Tuolumne County, California, Sheriff's Office recently announced they can no longer provide any daytime patrol deputies. The Chicago Police Department typically receives 20,000 to 30,000 applications each year. In 2022, fewer than three thousand people applied.  NYPD is reporting record early retirements. The totality of circumstances for large and small agencies alike is simple, law enforcement agencies are struggling to survive the workload, and the workload will continue to grow. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued guidelines recommending that homicide detectives handle no more than five cases at a time. This past year, eight homicide detectives in Jackson, Mississippi, have been struggling under the weight of 153 murders, many of which will likely become cold cases.

For small and rural agencies, the negative budget impacts have been nothing short of a crisis. These agencies have little to no resources to bring to bear on cold case investigations. The overall net effect is that the capacity and expertise required to investigate major crimes is being hollowed out of American law enforcement agencies. Nowhere is the impact greater than in cold case homicide investigations. The RIG can make a dramatic difference by providing a service that can help heal grieving families and bring murderers to justice. 

Many of our nation’s cold case homicides can be solved. The major barriers to solving cold case homicides are well known and include: 

-  Lack of staff to work cold cases

-  Lack of expertise in working complex homicide investigations

-  Lack of funding to support comprehensive DNA evidence analysis

 The RIG has solved for all three of these barriers.

- The RIG’s CEO and its Director of Cold Case Support are both nationally recognized experts in the field of cold case homicides. They are both located in northern Nevada and will personally lead the Cold Case Project with assistance from Partner Agency personnel who they will mentor and coach throughout the course of the project, thereby helping to grow new capacity and expertise in the field.

- DNA evidence analysis is a costly process and represents a significant gating factor for any small or rural agency hoping to solve its cold cases.  It can cost as much as $20K to process a single piece of DNA evidence depending on its age and condition.  The RIG executed an MOU with one of the nation’s premier Genetic Genealogy Corporations, which will provide court certified genetic genealogy reports at a fixed cost of $1,500 per DNA case. The RIG is in negotiations with a world class DNA analysis lab, that is fully certified and online with the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) which will enable the processing of any RIG submitted samples at a cost of approximately $3,500. The RIG will cover these costs meaning that the partner law enforcement agency has no-cost access to the very best scientific evidence processing systems.

- With the successful completion of the Cold Case Project as a Proof of Concept, the RIG will seek funding to scale the Cold Case Project from its northern Nevada focus to a statewide and then a nationwide roll-out. To that end, the RIG is identifying recently retired major case and homicide investigators who have expressed interest in volunteering to join the effort.

 -The Cold Case Project will deploy a nationwide network of expert, cold case homicide investigators available to the Cold Case Project on a 24X7 basis, whenever and wherever needed. Our response modalities include telephone, video conference, encrypted network exchange, and in-person response. The Cold Case Project will accomplish the following:

o   With the appropriate agreements in place, the RIG will volunteer to review and select no more than 100 cold case murders held in the files of the Partner Agencies.

 o   More than half of the selected cold cases will involve victims from traditionally underserved or under-represented communities.

 o   The RIG will impose no monetary cost on any Partner Agency for its services.    

 o   When a cold case is cleared, the credit and any related publicity will be focused on the Partner Agency, giving it an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to and constructive engagement with communities that long have felt neglected and overlooked. 

[1]   A "coin flip": Nearly half of U.S. murders go unsolved as cases rise - CBS News